Missiologists have wrestled with this idea for years - and Meaderis' experience living overseas shows how he has wrestled as well. Put one way, this book is a kind of missiology on witnessing but in popular terminology and writing style.
First - I will review the positives - the things that challenged me. At the end, I will share a few concerns.
The strength of Medearis is his simplicity: bringing us back to JESUS, not religion. As a missiologist might say when bringing the message of Jesus to another land: bring the seed, not the whole tree. Medearis nails this. Leave the doctrinal explanations at home - stick to Jesus.
"The gospel is not a what. It is not a how. The gospel is a
Who. The gospel is literally the good news of Jesus. Jesus is the gospel. ...E. Stanley Jones continues this thought in his book The
Christ of the Indian Road: “The sheer storm and stress of things had driven me
to a place that I could hold. Then I saw that there is where I should have been
all the time. I saw that the gospel lies in the person of Jesus, that he
himself is the Good News, that my one task was to live and to present him. My
task was simplified.”"
In the West, we suffer from what one might call "control-freak Christianity" - our attempt to understand, explain and systematize all things of our faith - and then we err by trying to be sure anyone who wants to 'join our Christian club' understands all of those points too. Meadearis reminds us, "Are we saved by our brains or our hearts?" In other words, when we look at the life of Jesus - He did not explain all points of doctrine or 'make converts' - He simply invited people to follow Him. That true discipleship changed them. Meadearis reminds us that Jesus was hardest on those who were religious, not those who were messy. He was attracted to those who could acknowledge their need. Medearis regularly asks those he is sharing with whom Jesus might prefer to 'hang out with' - and when the individual assumes its Medearis - he corrects them quickly. "Jesus would go home with you," he says.
One of the author's favorite hang-outs was a coffee shop/book store where some of the most "un-christianized" people in Colorado Springs hang out. He asks - if Jesus were here today, where would HE hang out? right here. I agree wholeheartedly. Jesus would not visit our mega-churches. He would most likely be visiting bars on Christopher Street, or speaking words of hope in South-East Asia's slums and brothels.
When I personally read the words of Jesus - I often feel as though I fall so far short. Jesus' rebuke of the Pharisees often describes me so much more often than His words to the ill or the outcast: Medearis says it this way: "Perhaps … those who think they’re “in” or that they know the
way or have the truth need a bit of shaking. Legalism is the enemy of Jesus.
...as soon as our
attitudes shift from a humble “knowing” of Jesus to a know-it-all type of
arrogance, we’re toast. We will be on the rebuking end of Jesus’ words."
Meadearis calls believers to simplify their idea of 'witnessing' - to love and listen to people, speak freely and often and boldly of Jesus and how He has changed your life. Stop the Christianese and the endless explanations. Let people be attracted to the Person of Jesus and begin to follow Him. YES.
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